Method of promoting combustion.



practice it is necessary UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEToE.

JoHN H. rAnsoNs, or R'IDLEY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, AssreNon To mansionsV ENGI- NEEBING COMPANY, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE,

METHOD 0F PROMOTING COMBUS'ON.

Application filed April 19,

-Speciction of Letters Patent. i Patented lVIar, 21, 1911, 191i), Serial No. 556,426. Renewed October 26, 1910. Serial No. 589,262.

condition for' distillation has been ascer- State of Pennsylvanla, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Promoting Combustion, of

which the following is a speclfication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a method of promoting-combustion of fuel, such as coal, in boiler furnaces, although in that particular, the method may be carried out inv connection with other types of furnaces. er heaters.

It is, at the present time, a well known fact that in operating underv the general to create in furnaces the chemical combination of the combusti- .ble gases with oxygen. This combination is know-n technically as combustion. It is also a recognized factthat to maintain this combustion it is necessary to create a circulation of air through the combustible body of fuel on the grate, and this has been secured, either by increasing the pressure frombelow the grate or pressure above the grate, so that the pressure below will result in the forcing of the air through the ignited body of fuel..-

Itis a fact known in this particular 'art that heretofore, or prior to my invention, it was quite. impossible to supply a sufficient amount of oxygen for a complete consumption ofthe combustible gases arising from the burning bed of fuel when such 'oxygen or air was supplied through the 'fuel' and grate bars. Realizing this fact, many -1n` venters of the past have suggested apparatus for introducing air above the burning bed of fuel-into'thefire box. This air was intended to su ply oxygen for leffecting ,combustion of t ese combustible gases prior to their entry into the uptake. Applrec'iating the efforts heretofore made, and t'e objections as adopted prior to my invention, I have ascertained that to secure substantially complete combustion, the bed of fuel should be -maintained'largely asa gas-producing ele l,

ment, and the distilled gases arising therc from employed as thefcmbustible material y' with which to produce the requisite heat for the boiler. In this connection, the 1nain-v tenancc of the fire on the grate in a proper tained decreasing the to the general p rac'ticc burning body of fuel should' be under controlso that according to requirements, thel by me to'be a factor of material imvpartance and I 4have ascertained that the distillation may be varied as to rapidity so that the combustible fuel relied on for steaming purposes will be constantly supplied in the proper amounts according to the re#V encountered. realized` that quirements 'of the conditions In locomotive practice, 1t is the steaming conditions are variable accord' and therefore4 .when additional steam is required, the heat ing to the load and grade,

producing factor; or element should be changed or amplified in accordance'with the increased requirements.

I have ascertained that itis quite. impossible, as above. stated, to supply all of the air through the [burning bed of fuel, and therefore 1n my method presently to be described, l supply the oxygenabove the burning bed of fuel and in such manner as will tend to regulatethe -amount of oxygen sup- A plied through the bed of fuel so that the dis# tillation'of the gases may be regulated -according to' the requirements of the conditions Inet with. I have found that the amount of oxygen to -be'introduced above the bed of fuel should be in very large quantities and should be directed under vconsiderable force so thatl an entraining action ofthe air through the fuel will be secured.

Briefly, my method may be stated as follows: I supply the roper amount of fuel ing supplied-at- -the initial stage in any convement manner, or as usual. l then inject into the rising gases. distilled from the burn-' ing bed'of'fuel, a very large volume of air which has been previously heated. This air is directed forward in the general direction. of 'the draft of the furnace preferablyl exhaust liuc thereof toward the -lowermostas indicated in Fig. 1 and 'with such force as to produce.A an -entrai'ning action of 1air through thev burning bed of fuel. The greater the force the greaterwill be theA ra,-

pidityand consequently the amount offair passing through the fuel will-.be greater and therefore lthe more rapid the distillation of the gases therein contained'. 1 These gases in their highest degree of .temperature rise 4from the burning bed of fuel in the re box,'

are'` met the incoming heated air and -on the grate and ignite the same, the air bei" commingle therewith, thus creating combustion and maintaining the conditions of thev combustible gases in substantially their most `perfect condition, namely CO2 Without per-v mitting them to be reconverted into the lessi, perfect condition of CO. The impellmg force for the heated air is considerable and the term force is employed herein as indicating that rapidity of movement Which will create a drawing or entraining action of the air allowed to pass through thebed of "fuel This is to distinguish that feature of the method from the suggestions `heretofore ,madeby others of simply permitting air to enter with inconsiderable force. This latter suggestion stifled the draft and impeded the action of the furnace. I have also ascertained that by yintroducing the air into the combustion chamber above the bed of fuel under this entraining force, the air should be supplied in such volume or quantity as to complete the combustion of the combustible gases and suspended carbon and to cover the entire area of the furnace. I have also 4ascertained that in practice the method above described can only be carried out satisfactorily by directing the entrainin volume 'in the general direction of the dra t so that the lowermostexhaust lues.

the incoming air will assist the draft rather than impede the same and serve Vin the capacity of an entraining factor as above described.

Any convenient form of apparatus may be employed so long as'the proportions are 4properlysuch as topermit the requisite volume of air to be injected or forced into 'the Ere box and with sufficient speed'or m04 mentum as to produce the required result above stated.. I have shown, for convenience, somewhat diagrammatically, an apparatus for this purpose.

In the drawingsVFigu're l is a longitu'di Anal vertical. section through a locomotive boiler,Fig. 2 is a sectional plan.

A indicates the flue sheet, B the grate bars, C the ash pit'which is open at I), the opening being sufiicient to supply the maximum amount of air to the grate bars. The door is indicated at E and the boiler at Any preferred form of furnace'canbe employed', but the above form is illustrated for the purposes of this specification only.

Located conveniently at opposite sides of i the lire box` are what YI have termed heater ticles larising from the body of fuel, the vol introduced into the fire box and so under necessary force for the purpose stated.

I have not herein claimed the specific form of apparatus, but in that particular would state that the invention is not limited to the particular apparatus shown but can he carried out as a method with-apparatus diiering materially from that shown and described.

In operation, With a view of carrying out the method, the' air passing through the heater box or pipes and nozzles is projected forcibly (in this connection in some instances as high as 4500 feet per minute) .forwardly in the general direction ofV the draft. The entraining volume of air is heated as it passes through the burning bed of fuel in that the supply conduits pass through the burning bed of fuel. I have found that the air-.will be heated by this. means to a temperature sufficient to cause an immediate.

combustion of the gases without any detrimental or objectional impeding of the combustion. Should more or less air be required, the same may be suppliedfin 'the proper quantities by the control of the valve governing the steam inlet. In locomotive practice, the air passing into the intakes will vary according to the speed ofthe en-` gine, but may be governed in any convenient manner, as by suitable valve mechanism.y

By my method thev furnace condition is maintained in its most eective state, 4the .combustible gases are consumed and the engine, if the apparatus is employed on a locomotive or the stack in stationary plants, isv rendered substantially smokeless. I 4have also found that the steaming qualities of the engine or furnace is improved in a large degree and thatthe walls of the fire box and the tubes of a tubular boiler are maintained practically in a white condition, indicating complete combustionof the combustible gases. f

Having thus described'my invention, what I claim is l. The art of promoting combustion inf '4 furnaces consisting in igniting a body of"` fuel supported on a grate, supplying air loeV low., the ignited body of fuel, introducing fabove said body of fuel heated airiinthe general direction of the draft of the'furnace and .in Such volume as to oxidize the combustible gases and consume the carbon parume and velocity of the introduced air being such as to cause an entraining action on the air passing through the bed of fuel whereby` the amount of air passing through the bed of fuel 4is regulated by the regulation of the volume and velocity of the air v`introduced above thefuel.

2. lThe art of promoting combustion in furnaces consisting in igniting a body of fuel supported on a grate, supplying a1r tothe fuel from vbelow the ate, and rcibly introducing above the igliel a Volume of heated air in the general direction of the draft of the furnace and in sheet formation to intercept and in Volume to insure the consumption of the combustible gases and particles arising from the body of fuel, the `voll Copies of this patent may be Yobtained for urne and velocity of the introduced air being such'as to cause an entraining action-on the air passing through the grate and fuel and facilitate the vmamtenance of the required draft through the fuel. l

3. The art of promoting combustion in furnaces provided with suitable Aexhaust flues for the escapingl products of combustion, consisting in igniting a body of fuel supported on a grate7 supplying air to the fuel from below the grate, and forcibly introducing above the fuel a volumenof heated air in the general direction of the draft of the lowermost exhaustl iiue thereof :and in sheet formation to intercept and involume to insure the consumption of the combustible gases and-particles arising from the bed of fuel, the volume and velocity of the int-roduced air being such as to cause an entraining action en the air passing thrugh the grate and fuel and facilitate the maintenance of the required draft through the fuel.

. In testnnon whereof I affix my signature in presence o two witnesses.

, JOHN H. PARSONS.

Witnesses:

CALVIN T; MILANS, L. S. BAoon.

ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Pat-ents,

Washington, D. C.

30 the furnace and substantially in Iline with 

